With a free weekend in Buenos Aires, decide on the kind of trip first — river, countryside, sea, hills or hot springs — and on the transport second. Some places are easy by train or boat. Others are hard to reach at all without a vehicle. This guide sorts the options and explains how to get to each.
River: Tigre, the Delta and Colonia
Tigre is the closest outing. A suburban train runs there from Retiro station, and public river boats leave from Tigre’s river station for the islands of the Delta. It works well as a day trip.
Colonia del Sacramento is in Uruguay, on the far bank of the Río de la Plata, and is reached by ferry from the port of Buenos Aires. This is an international trip. Every passenger needs their own valid travel document, and which document is accepted depends on nationality. Check with the migration authorities of Argentina and Uruguay before you buy a ticket.
Countryside: villages and estancias
San Antonio de Areco, known for its gaucho tradition, is the classic choice. Around it are small villages that live off weekend lunches, and estancias that take guests for the day or overnight. Long-distance buses reach the larger towns. For the small villages and the estancias you nearly always need a car. See our guides to villages and estancias.
Sea: the Atlantic coast
Mar del Plata has every option: a train from Constitución station, buses from the Retiro terminal, flights, and the Autovía 2 highway by car. Pinamar, Cariló and Villa Gesell are reached by bus or car. In summer and on long weekends, traffic out and back shapes the whole trip. Read the guide to Ruta 2 in high season.
Hills and hot springs
Tandil offers hill country inside Buenos Aires province and is reached by bus or car. The hot springs of Entre Ríos lie beyond the Paraná river and are worth two nights rather than one. The hot springs guide explains how they differ.
Choosing the transport
- Train. Usually the lowest-cost option where one exists. Seats to Mar del Plata sell out in high season.
- Long-distance bus. Reaches almost every town, but not hamlets or estancias.
- Hire car. Freedom at the destination. In exchange, you drive at the busiest hours.
- Organised tour. Practical for a day in the country or for Tigre, on a fixed schedule.
- Private transfer. Makes sense for a group or a family with children and bags, for a country lunch when nobody wants to drive back, or for places with no public transport. It does not make sense for one person going to Tigre, where the train does the job, or for Colonia, where the useful part is the ride to the ferry terminal.
Train, bus and ferry times and fares change often. Check each operator’s own site a few days ahead.